Hercule Poirot
Hercule Poirot, the famous Belgain policeman and private detective, was born in 1864 and died in the British village of Styles St. Mary at the astonishing age of 111. Early Life Hercule Poirot was born in 1864, on the same day as his twin brother, Achille. It is believed that these Grecian names were suggested by Violet Holmes, on her continental trip through Belgium. It is definite that the mother of both Poirot and Holmes were very good friends. The birth of his younger sister, Yvette, completed this family image. He was raised with a good knowledge of the classics, as well as religious matters- this is hardly surprising, as the young Poirot was educated in a school run by nuns. Police Career In the 1880s, Poirot joined the Belgian Police Force, and was later to also join the Belgian Secret Service. One of his most prominent cases of this era was the murder of Paul Déroulard, who was a French Deputy staying in Brussels. He was killed by means of a rigged box of chocolates, containing trinitrin placed there by Madame Déroulard, Paul's mother. However, Poirot had not solved the crime fast enough for justice to be done, and this quite damaged his reputation; in later life he would always refer to it as the case which saw "the failure of my little grey cells". In this time frame, he also had more successful cases; he tracked down a wealthy soap manufacturer in Liege, who had poisoned his wife in order to elope with his secretary. In 1904 Poirot took on a landmark case, in which he managed to stop a notorious forger called Abercrombie, who had been taking money from banks throughout Western Europe. In this task, he was aided by the then Inspector Jimmy Japp, and a lifelong friendship was created. The two worked together solving many crimes and stopping almost as many criminals; the 'Baron' Altara, a murderer and anarchist who had eluded half the police in Europe, was only brought to earth in Antwerp by the efforts of this pair. The final showdown took place on the roof of the town hall, where Altara, now taking potshots at the general public, was felled by a well-placed bullet from Poirot. This era also saw Poirot investigating an embezzlement in Lloyd's Bank, where he came upon trail that led him to Brussels. In this he was assisted by a young clerk called Arthur Hastings, who was quite taken by the Belgian, even aspiring to be a detective when he was older- an ambition that was never followed through. The two departed, however, firm friends. World War I Poirot, although nearing retirement age, played an important part in World War I resistance, after the Germans invaded his home country. His efforts, however, were kept strictly secret by all involved- the only facts known are that he helped King Albert elude a spot of difficult blackmail and that he was a big target for German forces, so much so that, when lured out to the front line, he was shot by a German assassin. Happily, a French General smuggled him across the border to France, and then sent him on the Orient Express to the English village of Styles St. Mary. This was the start of a new career for Poirot, as, no sooner had he arrived, he met once again his old friend and companion, the now Captain Arthur Hastings. With Hastings, Poirot was able to solve the murder of Mrs Cavendish, who had been poisoned via some bromine in her strychnine medicine. Thus began his second career in England, as well as the beginning of a professional friendship that was to last for many more years. Poirot's war efforts were not over yet, however. Towards the eve of 1918 the British Prime Minister, David MacAdam, was almost assassinated. The famous Belgian detective was approached by Lord Estair, the Leader of the House of Commons, and Bernard Dodge, a member of the War Cabinet, stating that MacAdam had been kidnapped on the way to the signing of the Treaty of Versailles. He had arrived at Boulogne-sur-Mer where he was met by what was thought to be his official car but was actually a substitute. This car was later found abandoned and with Captain Daniels, the Prime Minister's secretary, chloroformed and gagged inside it. As the Prime Minister had previously been involved in a shooting by the same men, (which had left him unharmed but with a bandaged face) MacAdam and Estair were understandably very worried. Poirot was able to reveal that Daniels was the one who had engineered the kidnapping; the man with the bandaged face was a double, so as to draw the police's attention elsewhere. Daniels had been motivated by a German spy, Frau Bertha Erbenthal, whom Poirot had been tracking for quite a while. 1920s Poirot was able to assist the government again in the 1920s; the head of the Ministry of Defence, Lord Alloway, and First Sea Lord, Admiral Sir Harry Weardale asked for his assistance on the recent theft of the plans for a Z-type submarine. The facts of the case were that the ladies of the party – a Mrs Conroy and Lady Weardale – had retired to bed at 10:00 pm, as had Leonard Weardale. Lord Alloway instructed his secretary, Mr Fitzroy, to place the various papers that he and the Admiral would require to do their evening's work out on the table in the study while the two men walked on the terrace and finished their cigars. As they returned to the study, the submarine plans, having been moved by Fitzroy from the safe to the table, were gone. It turned out that Lord Alloway had stolen the plans, as he was being blackmailed by a foreign agent (Mrs Conroy). His plan was to doctor the plans slightly so as to make them entirely useless, and then hand them over to the Germans. This was confirmed as, later, when Alloway became Prime Minister, Poirot received a cheque and a signed photograph dedicated to "my discreet friend". Another important case for Poirot was the Marcus Hardman case, in which a set of medieval jewellery was stolen during a dinner party. It was during this case that Poirot met the thief, Countess Vera Rossakoff, and fell in love. Rossakoff was a refugee from the Russian revolution- and aristocratic, strong woman whom had fallen onto hard times, being forced to adopt a life of crime. Poirot did not pronounce sentence on her, instead asking her merely to return the jewels. They departed on good terms; both highly impressed by the other. The Big Four One of the next major cases of the '20s was when Poirot and Hastings attempted to defeat the large crime ring known as the Big Four. Lasting from July, 1924 to May, 1925, the case saw Poirot going against Li Chang Yen, in actuality Fu Manchu (Number One), Abe Ryland, an American millionaire (Number Two), Madame Olivier, a French scientist (Number Three) and Claude Darrell, otherwise known as Carl Peterson (Number Four). Poirot was forced to solve several crimes that the Big Four had undertaken before actually confronting the group; these included the murders of Mr. Jonathan Whalley, the kidnapping of scientist Dr. Halliday, In this Poirot was assisted by the apparently American policeman, Captain Kent. However, this man was, in actuality, Kent Allard, the man who would later become the notorious Shadow. Allard, before taking on his crime-fighting pseudonym, frequently used to masquerade as American detectives; he had done so previously when he assisted Bulldog Drummond in his battle against Carl Peterson, under the name Jerome K. Green- clearly this was some sort of private battle between the two. Poirot then introduces Hastings to Captain Kent who tells them of the sinking of many U.S. boats after the Japanese earthquake. After this they rounded many crooks up all of them referred to an organization called the Big Four. They have made a form of wireless energy capable of focusing a beam of great intensity on any spot. A British scientist called Halliday experimented on this and was said to be on the eve of success when he was kidnapped while on a visit to France. Poirot talks to Halliday's wife who tells him that her husband went to Paris on Thursday the 20 July to talk to some people connected with his work among them the notable French scientist Madame Olivier. After lunch Halliday had gone to Madame Olivier. He had left her at six o' clock, dined alone at some restaurant and gone to his hotel. He had walked out next morning and had not been seen afterwards. As a result Poirot goes to Paris with Hastings. Poirot and Hastings visit Madame Olivier, question her but while leaving they catch a glimpse of a veiled lady who Poirot is interested in. As soon as they exit the villa a tree falls down barely missing them. Poirot then explains to Hastings how Halliday was kidnapped he was walking away when a lady caught up with him and told him Madame Olivier wanted to talk to him again. She led him and turned into a narrow alley and then into a garden told him that Madame Olivier's villa was on the right side then and there Halliday was kidnapped. Poirot goes to the villa and asks to speak to the woman who just came. She comes down, after initially refusing, when Poirot sends his card. It turns out she is the Countess Vera Rossakoff. When confronted with the theory she phones the kidnappers to send Halliday back to the hotel. When Halliday returns he is too scared to speak. Then a man in a cloak, who is a participant in the big four, comes and tries persuading Hercule Poirot to stop and Hastings gets into a small fight with the stranger who evades Poirot, Hastings, and the hotel manager with a clever disguise. Poirot is told by Madame Olivier that two men broke into her laboratory and attempted to steal her supply of radium. Poirot and Hastings board a train, and in the confusion of a signal failure caused by Poirot's friend, they return to Mme. Olivier's villa to find the thieves. however, they are ambushed by thugs, and Olivier reveals herself to be Number 3, and that the two shall die by her hands to prevent their interference. However, Poirot tells her that the cigarette he has contains a poisonous dart, and Olivier unties Hastings, who unties Poirot and binds and gags Olivier. Shortly afterwards the two receive a letter from Abe Ryland who was annoyed at Poirot for refusing his offer. Then Poirot tells Hastings that Abe Ryland is Number 2, an American millionaire. Ryland soon releases news that he is looking for an efficient secretary, and Hastings applies and gets the job, imposing as a man called Captain Neville. He becomes suspicious of the manservant Deaves, and he learns that Ryland received an encoded letter telling him to go to a quarry at eleven o'clock. Hastings spies on Ryland, but is captured by Ryland and Deaves, who wait for Poirot. When he arrives he ambushes Ryland and Deaves with the help of ten Scotland Yard officials. Ryland is released after his manservant informs the police that all of it was just a wager, and Poirot realises that the manservant was Number Four. A month later, they leave London due to the death of a Mr Paynter in Worcestershire. He had six Chinese servants, as well as his bodyguard Ah Ling, who Poirot is interested in. Paynter was living with his nephew when he felt ill after a meal and a Doctor Quentin was called. He told the nephew, Gerald, that he had given Paynter a hypodermic injection and proceeded by asking strange questions about the servants. Paynter was found the next morning in a room locked from the inside, dead. It seemed that he had fallen off his chair and into the gas fire, and the Doctor was blamed for leaving him in such a position. Before his death, Paynter had dipped his finger in ink and written "yellow jasmine" on his newspaper, a plant growing all over the house, as well as drawing two lines at right angles under the words, a sign similar to the beginning of the number 4. At the inquest, Quentin was accused in a number of ways, such as that he was not the regular doctor and his recalling of the events. According to him, Paynter told him as soon as the door was shut that he was not feeling ill at all and that the taste of his curry was strange. It was claimed that Quentin injected him with strychnine rather than a narcotic. Later, after the curry was analysed, the results showed that it contained a deadly amount of opium, implicating the servant Ah Ling as he was the one to cook it. Also, Inspector Japp tells the two that the key was found near the broken door and that the window was unlatched. Japp believes that the charred face was to cover up the identity of the dead man, but Poirot believes the man to be Paynter. Poirot reveals that Doctor Quentin was number 4, who entered the house and gave Paynter an injection of yellow jasmine rather than strychnine. He locked the door and exited through the window, returning later to put opium in the curry sample, throw Paynter into the fire and steal a manuscript-the reason for the murder. A month after the case, Japp informs Poirot of another mysterious death- the chess grandmasters Gilmour Wilson and Doctor Savaronoff were playing chess when shortly into the game Gilmour Wilson collapsed dead due to heart failure. Japp suspects he was poisoned, and Poirot is called in. Japp suspects that the poison was intended for Savaronoff, a former Revolutionist in Russia who just escaped from the Bolsheviks. He refused several times to play a game of chess with Wilson but eventually gave in. The match took place in Savaronoff's flat, with at least a dozen people watching the game. Wilson's body had a small burn mark on his left hand and was also clutching a white bishop when he died, part of Savaronoff's set. As Poirot and Hastings enter the Doctor's flat, Poirot notices that the antique Persian rug has had a nail driven through it. After the proceedings in the flat, Poirot and Hastings return home and Poirot takes out a second white bishop. He weighed the one he took with the one Wilson was holding and discovered that the one he was holding was heavier. He explains that the bishop has a metal rod inside it, so that the current passing through the recently refurbished flat below is powered through the nail, into the also tampered table and into the bishop. The bishop was chosen because of Wilson's predictable first few moves, and Poirot suspects the servant of the flat and Savaronoff's niece of working for the big Four. However, when they arrive at the flat Savaronoff's niece is gagged and unconscious and Ivan and the Doctor are nowhere to be seen. Poirot explains that Savaronoff did die in Russia and that number Four impersonated him as a cover. He killed Wilson because if Savaronoff was the second greatest chess master in the world, people would soon realise that number Four was nothing like the chess player Savaronoff was. With number Four gone, the two are back to square one again. Soon afterwards, Hastings is given a message that his wife has been kidnapped in Argentina by the big Four, as well as another note saying that if he wants to see his wife again he must follow a Chinese servant. He leaves four books on the table as a message for Poirot, and follows him to an abandoned house in Chinatown and he is taken to an Arabian- like room. One of the Chinese servants tries to make him write a letter in order to get Poirot and threaten him with death. He is eventually forced to write it to Poirot and he is soon seen across the street. As Hastings is forced to beckon him into the house, a man from Scotland Yard throws a drugged smoke bomb into the house, knocking everyone unconscious and Hastings is saved. Hastings is not only greeted by Poirot, but by the fact that his wife has been safe for over three months in a place Poirot set up. Later, Poirot's agents return from their work of identifying number 4 and produce four names, with a Mr Claud Darrell looking suspicious as he has visited both China and America. Very soon, Darrell's friend, Florence Monro, calls Poirot to tell him information about Darrell. She gives one important point, that when he eats he always picks up a pice of bread and dabs up the crumbs with it. She also promises to send him a photo of Darrell. Twenty minutes later Miss Monro is hit by a car and killed, while number Four had taken her latch-key, gone into her flat and stolen the photograph. Poirot, Hastings and Ingles meet with the home secretary and his client. Ingles leaves for China, and Poirot reveals an odd fact- he has a twin brother. The two arrive home to a nurse who says that her employer, Mr Templeton, often has gastric attacks after eating. When a sample of soup is tested and found to contain antimony, they set off again. The arrival of Templeton's adopted son causes a disturbance; he tells Poirot that he thinks his mother is trying to poison his father. Poirot pretends to have stomach cramps, and when he is alone with Hastings, he quickly tells him that Templeton's son is number Four, as he dabbed up the crumbs with a small slice of bread at the table. The two climb down the ivy and arrive at their flat. The two are caught by a trap; a matchbox filled with a chemical explodes knocking Hastings unconscious and killing Poirot. Another shock greets Hastings shortly after the funeral; John Ingles had fallen overboard on his boat to China, but Hastings knew this to be murder, of none other than Claud Darrell, number Four himself. After being warned twice by a disguised number Four and Countess Rosakoff to leave for South America, Hastings is called to a hospital because Ingles' Chinese servant was stabbed and had a message in his pocket for Hastings. The servant managed to say 'Handel's Largo', 'carrozza' and a few other Italian words before dying. He also receives a letter from Poirot to be given after his death saying to leave for South America, as it was part of the plan. The big Four would think he was leaving and he could 'wreak havoc in their midst'. This is confirmed when a gentleman in a fur coat (number Four) sends him a letter saying 'You are wise'. Hastings is put on board a ship for Belgium, where he is reunited with his supposedly dead friend, Poirot. Hastings is shocked, and Poirot states it was to make his death look certain to the big Four. The two set off for Italy to Lago di Carrezza, which Hastings thought was 'largo' and 'carrozza'. The two find a café where they go to drink coffee. However, upon their arrival, they see a man jump up from his table, and fiddle with his bread- undoubtedly number Four. This was all Poirot's plan- to scare a man as soon as he thinks he is safe. But it was an act; the lights went out and Poirot and Hastings are knocked unconscious and dragged away. They are taken to the headquarters of the Big Four- The Felsenlabyrinth. They are confronted by Ryland, Olivier and number Four, with Chang Yen being in China, and later Vera Rossakoff. It soon becomes clear that the man is not Hercule Poirot, but in fact his twin, Achille. The man has a deeper voice, has no moustache and has a scar on his lip. He makes the four people aware of the fact that the mountain has been cordoned off, and that the police were about to raid the headquarters. Knowing their defeat, the three members retreat to a laboratory and Vera decided to bargain with Poirot. He claimed that he could bring the dead back to life, and she said that she would save them if he returned her dead child. The three run out of the mountain just as it explodes, and Hastings awakes to yet another surprise. Achille Poirot didn't exist- it was Hercule Poirot in disguise all along. He manages to give the countess her child back, who was really left in an orphanage, and the newspapers reveal that Li Chang Yen, the famous Chinese politician, has committed suicide. The story ends on Poirot lamenting that all his other cases will seem boring and tame to this case. See also *Arthur Hastings *Inspector Japp *Ariadne Oliver *Colonel Race Category:People Category:Detectives Category:Pages Category:Belgians